The anti-statue anti-monument frenzy has reached a point of true craziness. Since Charlottesville, a whole raft of cities, towns and states have decided to get rid of all manner of historical markers. It doesn't matter why a statue is in a particular place, it just has to go according to the liberal frenzy. For example, in a hall of fame in New York City, the busts of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were ordered removed by governor Cuomo despite the fact that placing those busts in that hall was done originally as a symbol of the healing of the nation after the Civil War. Are we just erasing history now?
The point is that historical events cannot simply be erased. Even if the events were terrible, they just cannot be erased.
Think about it. Should we bury any mention of the Nazis? It's hard to think of a worse group of people in modern times. Still, if we erase them from history, future generations may not understand the full evil of what they did. The Nazi philosophy captured millions in Europe 80 years ago. It might exert that same appeal in a few decades if people are uneducated to its full horror.
What about Roman ruins. The Romans had slaves everywhere. Each time they captured a new region, they made most of the inhabitants into slaves. Should we ask the Italian government to tear down the ruins in Rome so as to erase the memory of these slave holders?
What about the Egyptian pyramids. Every year Jews celebrate Passover to commemorate their escape from slavery in Egypt. Nevertheless, we know that slaves built the pyramids. Do they have to come down?
There is no doubt that things change, social views change. When that happens, the nature of monuments changes too. But it's not just social views that change; people change too. One thing that ought not change, however, is history. History is not meant to be altered every time society's outlook transforms. We need to know what actually happened rather than attempt to airbrush the unappealing parts away. If George Washington owned slaves, that's part of his story. It does not erase his enormous contribution to the founding of this country. There is a history of America that actually happened. It has proud moments and moments that are shameful. We need to remember all those moments. There's a famous quote that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. It's something that needs to be kept in mind.
Right now, there are too many things to do about the current situation in the USA and the world to waste time fighting over monuments and statues. We cannot erase history and we ought not try to do so.
The point is that historical events cannot simply be erased. Even if the events were terrible, they just cannot be erased.
Think about it. Should we bury any mention of the Nazis? It's hard to think of a worse group of people in modern times. Still, if we erase them from history, future generations may not understand the full evil of what they did. The Nazi philosophy captured millions in Europe 80 years ago. It might exert that same appeal in a few decades if people are uneducated to its full horror.
What about Roman ruins. The Romans had slaves everywhere. Each time they captured a new region, they made most of the inhabitants into slaves. Should we ask the Italian government to tear down the ruins in Rome so as to erase the memory of these slave holders?
What about the Egyptian pyramids. Every year Jews celebrate Passover to commemorate their escape from slavery in Egypt. Nevertheless, we know that slaves built the pyramids. Do they have to come down?
There is no doubt that things change, social views change. When that happens, the nature of monuments changes too. But it's not just social views that change; people change too. One thing that ought not change, however, is history. History is not meant to be altered every time society's outlook transforms. We need to know what actually happened rather than attempt to airbrush the unappealing parts away. If George Washington owned slaves, that's part of his story. It does not erase his enormous contribution to the founding of this country. There is a history of America that actually happened. It has proud moments and moments that are shameful. We need to remember all those moments. There's a famous quote that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. It's something that needs to be kept in mind.
Right now, there are too many things to do about the current situation in the USA and the world to waste time fighting over monuments and statues. We cannot erase history and we ought not try to do so.
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